Yogmaya and Durga Devi- Rebel Women of Nepal

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Is it possible that a century ago two women, both champions of justice, emerged from little-known villages in East Nepal to offer solutions to their nation's social and political ills? In Yogmaya & Durga Devi: Rebel Women of Nepal, Dr. Aziz continues to pursue the legacy of these historical figures whose achievements she documented starting in 1980. Heir to A Silent Song, her first book on the subject, brought Yogmaya Neupane to public attention. Here the author moves from historical disclosure to question Yogmaya's relevance in contemporary Nepal, while also turning the spotlight on Durga Devi Ghimire, Yogmaya's compatriot. She asks: what do these women, with their contrasting strategies and visions, offer modern Nepal?

BARBARA NIMBI AZIZ is a veteran anthropologist and journalist. A Fulbright scholar and author, Dr. Aziz's five books reflect a lifetime of travel and research across several continents. She resides in the middle hills of New York State where winter recalls the thin air of Solu-Khumbu and summer, the mist rising from Nepal's Arun River.

Like many Nepalis I wasn't very knowledgeable about Yogmaya until recently. Only after winning the Padma Shree prize, on a return visit to Nepal from America, I heard her name. My guru and colleague Dahal Yagya Nidhi at Radio Nepal spoke about her with such awe, and he urged me to write Yogmaya's stry.

Where should I begin? I wondered. My Google search was of little help to me. Next, I turned to Kathmandu bookstores and started at Nepal's oldest and best-known shop Ratna Pustak Bhandar where I was able to find a single volume on Yogmaya. It was by Dr. Govinda Man Singh Karki. Maybe this is when my real pursuit of Yogmaya started. When I located him he told me about a few writers who'd begun researching Yogmaya's history. Among them was an anthropologist, Barbara Nimri Aziz, whose book I was able to find in Kathmandu as well-in a bookstore in Thamel. As soon as I began to read her book, I felt I had to meet Barbara.

She was living in USA, so with an introduction from Dr. Karki, I phoned her as soon as I got back there. When I told her my plans to write about Yogmaya, she was so happy, and she encouraged me wholeheartedly. She felt that Nepali women had to take up the challenge of Yogmaya, and she explained that up to then none had seemed interested. She believed fiction was a perfect way to explore the life of a special woman like Yogmaya.